The Registered Office of the Trust is at
254 Great Western Highway, Lawson, NSW Australia 2783
Telephone: 02 4759 1034 (International: 612 4759 1034)
ABN 28 284 312 624
That is the parish office for Our Lady of the Nativity Parish, Lawson.
For more immediate attention please contact the Secretary & Executive Officer of the Trust,Mr Allan Walsh, on (02) 4758 7049, or by email at secretary@bmert.org

The History and Objectives of the Trust...

The Trust was established in 2008 by priest-archaeologist, the Rev Dr Eugene Stockton. It was named after the original place name, Blue Mountain[singular], for the village of Lawson in the Blue Mountains where Fr Eugene grew up and where he now lives. The Trust was established for the advancement of religious enquiry, religious studies, Aboriginal studies, education and research for the local community and the Australian community at large [see further information below and at right].

The logo of the Trust is a stylised representation of an engraving of concentric circles carved by Aboriginal people found at Woodford. Concentric Circle carvings were considered to have spiritual significance to the indigenous people. [Click image at right to enlarge]

The Objects of the Blue Mountain Education & Research Trust

The objects of the Trust include but are not limited, to the following purposes:

To review and continue the research initiated by Fr Stockton in religious studies, Aboriginal studies and archaeology.

Based at Lawson, the original "Blue Mountain", with an emphasis on arousing awareness and collaborative participation to:

Disseminate knowledge and ideas on the above and related topics.

Host forums, talks and conferences for the advancement of matters of religious and social concern.

Engage in interfaith, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary dialogue.

Publish talks, papers and books, especially those whose authors are members of, or working with the local community.

To pursue any other purpose ancillary to, or associated with, the above objects.

The Officeholders of the Trust...

Eugene Stockton is the Founder and Chairperson for the Trust. As a priest of the Diocese of Parramatta (NSW), he was a longtime seminary lecturer and served in parish, university and Aboriginal ministries. He has degrees in Divinity, Philosophy and Sacred Scripture. As an archaeologist he has engaged in excavations and surveys in many parts of the Middle East and Australia. These varied interests have led to many publications, especially in the pursuit of an Australian spirituality.

Maureen Anderson is the Treasurer for the Trust.

Allan Walsh is the Secretary and Executive Officer for the Trust. Allan has had a lifetime involvement in the printing and publishing industry and in his retirement devotes much of his time, energy and skills to the work of the Trust — from the design, typesetting and layout of our books to handling orders and queries from customers. Allan is the person to contact with queries about the Trust.

Brian Coyne is the Webmaster and Online Editor for the Trust. Brian is also the editor, publisher and founder of the online website and community Catholica – www.catholica.com.au. His original traing was as a physicist but most of his professional life has been connected with communications, initially in the more technical aspects of the subject but for the past 30 years in the creative, writing and editorial side.

James Tulip is a Trustee. He is a former Associate Professor of English Literature at Sydney University. He is one of the best known and respected critics on contemporary Australian writing, has reviewed Australian poetry in Southerly and is a contributing editor to Poetry Australia. His award winning book, David Malouf: Johnno, short stories, poems, essays and interview, was published by UQP in 1990.

Laurie Woods is a Trustee. He has recently retired as a Senior Lecturer in Theology in the Faculty of Theology & Philosophy, Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary), ACU (Australian Catholic University).

More about
Dr Eugene Stockton
and the
Blue Mountain Education
& Research Trust

Eugene Stockton, as a priest of the Diocese of Parramatta (NSW), was a longtime seminary lecturer and served in parish, university and Aboriginal ministries. He has degrees in Divinity, Philosophy and Sacred Scripture. As an archaeologist he has engaged in excavations and surveys in many parts of the Middle East and Australia. These varied interests have led to many publications, especially in the pursuit of an Australian spirituality.

The Blue Mountain Education & Rsearch Trust (BMERT) was legally established in May 2008, with initial capital derived from the sales of Blue Mountain Dreaming.

To date the Trust has published fourteen books and it also supports the ongoing work of the Greater Blue Mountains Aboriginal Studies Forum (established 2010) which coordinates field work in the Blue Mountains recording the history of the indigenous pre-European occupation and history of the Blue Mountains.

Read more about Fr Eugene in this article by Virginia Knight Publised in Catholic OutlookHERE.